1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to network communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to network mediated delivery of rich media content.
2. Background Art
Photo albums have long been a popular format for commemorating special experiences, such as those arising from group travel or a group visit to a recreational venue. The photo albums assembled to memorialize these special events may sometimes include more than photos. For example, cutouts of map portions may be included to illustrate a travel route or highlight a destination, and dialogue bubbles may accompany personal photographs to convey the significance of a particular event or communicate significant episodes of group interaction.
The conventional approach to celebrating special events through production of a personal photo album devoted to the event includes several disadvantages, however. For example, the content from which the album is assembled is typically limited to content produced by the person assembling the album, or gathered by that individual from other members of the group sharing the common experience. Moreover, as a consequence of its often informal creation, a conventional photo album may convey a somewhat primitive aesthetic, resulting in a less than optimally pleasing artistic product for sharing with others.
In addition, a commemorative album assembled as previously described may actually be difficult to share. Because a physically assembled album is often a singular object, difficult to reproduce, members of the group celebrated by the album must typically be present at a common location to mutually enjoy its contents. Alternatively, the album may be circulated amongst the group members, or to outsiders to the group, eliminating the requirement that all be present in a common location. Unfortunately, circulation prevents the members temporarily dispossessed of the album from enjoying the reminiscences evoked by it, while depriving the outsiders not in possession of the album from appreciating its contents.
A more recent approach to commemorating a special event utilizes the advantages made available by modern communications technology to share digital images corresponding to the event. Widely available computer applications such as Shutterfly, and Kodak EasyShare, for example, enable ready sharing of electronic photos and photo albums among the members of a group, as well as their distribution to outsiders. Because an electronic photo album is much more easily reproduced than a physically assembled album, this approach overcomes the previous obstacles to mutual enjoyment of the commemorative content by all viewers concurrently, independent of their location.
Despite making commemorative digital content easier to share and enjoy, however, the conventional electronic solution to producing a digital photo album continues to place the burden of content production on one or more members of the group participating in the celebrated event. That is to say, the content contained by an electronic photo album is still typically limited to the content produced or gathered by group members. While that content, due to its likely personal significance to the group members, may be satisfactory for sharing among the group, as is true for the physical photo album produced according to the earlier conventional approach, the resulting collection of content may lack the richness and complexity of a professionally produced product, and be less desirable for viewing by outsiders to the group.
As a result of the various described disadvantages associated with conventional approaches to producing a collection of commemorative content, celebrating a special experience through creation of a commemorative album is unnecessarily difficult and inconvenient. Furthermore, because conventional approaches are likely to produce a less than optimally appealing artistic product, sharing enjoyment of the special experience with others may be less satisfying for all parties than if the commemorative album were more professionally produced.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by offering a solution capable of providing a professional quality rich media commemorative record of a group event, to celebrate, memorialize, and enable sharing of the event.